The technology is related to Internet Protocol (IP) telephony systems which connect telephone calls to or from devices using data packet communications. In a typical IP telephony system, users can place and receive telephone calls using IP based telephones, computers running IP telephony software, or via a normal analog telephone which is connected to the Internet via a telephone adapter.
Each time that a customer of the IP telephony system places a call or receives a call through the IP telephony system, a call detail record (CDR) is established for the call. The CDR includes various items of information about the call. For instance, the information included in a CDR would typically include the telephone number of the calling party, the telephone number of the called party, the time the call was established, the time the call ended, as well as various other items of information relating to the elements of the IP telephony system that handled the call.
The technology is also related to social networking systems which allow members to easily interact with one another via the Internet. Typically, each member of a social networking system will establish a presence on the social networking system, which can include posting some basic information. Members then establish links to one another through the social networking system. Once a link is established between first and second members, the first member can easily see information posted by the second member, and vice versa.
Presently, there is no way for a social networking system to obtain and utilize the information in CDRs that are recorded by a IP telephony system in order to aid the social networking system in providing services to the members of the social networking system. Specifically, there is no way for a social networking system to utilize the information contained in CDRs to recommend that two unlinked members of a social networking system establish a link between themselves.